It's my first time to care for a dog. We have pet dogs before in my parents' house but I was still young to be responsible for it. And those were just askals as we call it in Filipino. Short term for asong kalye (street dogs) or Philippine dogs. Very different from a Pomeranian, the breed we're given to take care of now. I'm learning how to care for a pom from experience. We want to care for our pups as long as we can have them right? Coz as we know, dogs' lifespan is shorter than humans. Cloudy is 6 months old now as in the pics. Here are basic tips to care for your Pom.
- Food and Clean water. You may feed your pom dog food or table food depending on what works for you. We feed our Pom Holistic dog pellets mixed with Pedigree or Alpo canned dog food. A can can last for a week while 1kg dog pellets can last up to 1 month. What's good about poms is that they don't grow big so they would need less food than bigger dog breeds like labrador or rottweiler. Water should always be available to them.
- Bath. I give my pom a bath twice a week. Or even more frequently especially when the weather is hotter. It's easy for Poms to smell because of their very thick fur. When giving your Pom a bath, don't overlook their ears, paws, genital and butt coz these are parts where they mostly smell or get dirty.
- Ticks and fleas. Check for ticks and fleas. There are dog shampoos to relieve of ticks and fleas if you think your dog needs one. Our's don't have ticks, only when she gets mixed with other dogs I'd get one or two. If your Pom stays inside the house (and give them regular baths), she'll hardly get ticks and fleas.
- Brush their teeth. I'm not yet eased with brushing our pom's teeth. But I let her chew on Pedigree Dentastix which has calcium to help them avoid tartar and cavities. It also helps remove stuck food in their teeth and bad breath.
- Comb their hair daily. Poms have thick double coat and if you don't catch it in the brush, you see them flying around in the house- on your clothes, on your carpet, in your food and if you're unlucky you may catch some in your mouth. Notice their hair is also nicer after a brush. Poms also shed naturally. I was told it's twice a year. And those times, they need to be combed more often. You will also see the need to trim their hair after losing most so the regrowth is even. Dog grooming is around P500 and higher in vet clinics or malls.
- Trim their nails. There are dog clippers in pet supply stores. I use our spare nail clipper and does it's job. Be careful when you cut your dog's nails. You'll see something reddish and be sure to cut outside of that. Also be sure that the dog has a good position and you're not jerking his legs backward as you hold out his paws.
- Daily walks. Although small, Pomeranians need daily walk as exercise.
- Vaccines. Adopting a dog is like having a new baby. They need to undergo a series of vaccines too. There's the 5-in-1 which includes anti- parvovirus, leptospirosis and other diseases. That's three times starting at 3 m/o. Then booster comes at 6 mos. Don't forget the most important, anti-rabies vaccine. For only P300 your pom and everyone around her are all protected. There's also deworming, anti-kennel cough and heartworm prevention vaccines which we opted out for our Pom. But she has vitamin supplement daily. And we chose not to feed her anything except dog food. She doesn't like rice and we don't feed her table food except for some fresh fruits like mango, melon and oranges.
- Discipline. Poms are naturally yappy and energetic dogs. They come to you jumping or licking your feet when you've just been out for three hours. They come to you and beg you to play when you just want to sit and watch tv. Some are too loud. There are areas where you need to discipline your Pom. You need to start early and be consistent. I think I'll have a separate post about this. Caesar, is that you?
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